Mil Milagros Inc

Nonprofit Issues:

Education

Address:

400 Atlantic Ave BostonMA02110USA

Mission:

Mil Milagros/A Thousand Miracles partners with mothers, grandmothers, and teachers in Guatemala to prevent child malnutrition and hunger and to ensure that children graduate from sixth grade healthy, literate, and prepared to continue their education. USAID reports that only 40% of children complete sixth grade. Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of child malnutrition in the world with fifty percent of the children malnourished (World Food Programme). In some Maya communities, the rate of malnutrition exceeds 80% (La Prensa Libre).

Results:

Mil Milagros partners with schools and communities to provide children with nutritious hot lunches, hygiene supplies and lessons and educational materials.
• Since 2010, 96% of 6th graders at Mil Milagros partners schools graduated (the national average is 40%).
• Over 550 mothers and grandmothers volunteer with Mil Milagros to prepare the children’s snacks and meals; over 200 mother and grandmother leaders have been trained in nutrition, hygiene and public speaking.
• All school-aged children develop healthy hygiene habits in school that they also practice in their homes including: tooth brushing, handwashing, and using toilet paper.
• In the two communities where Mil Milagros has partnered with Wuqu’ Kawoq since 2011 to reduce childhood malnutrition, there has been a 52% and 100% reduction in severe stunting, respectively. Through the training of mothers, monthly vitamin delivery, and monthly medical clinics, the lives of these children are improving.
• Partnerships have been formed to provide access to healthy drinking water, school and home construction, and healthcare services.

Target demographics:

over 1,100 children (ages six months to twelve years) and their families

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Reviews for Mil Milagros Inc

The impact Mil Milagros has on some of the poorest communities in Guatemala is dynamic. They promote and support innovative solutions. I was most impressed by how they not only feed students daily at various schools but the "mother leaders" of the students are the ones that come in and prepare the food for the children. They also provide teacher training for the teachers in the same schools. Everything about Mil Milagros shows how they work alongside the communities they serve and foster and strengthen the capacity for self help and growth. Mil Milagros is truly one of the most amazing organizations that I have had the true blessing to work with.

Our family, which includes a child adopted from Guatemala, has been working with, supporting, and serving on the board of Mil Milagros for years. We are consistently impressed, delighted, and moved by the extraordinary success of the "teach and feed" approach developed and applied by Mil Milagros in villages around Lake Atitlan. Their operation is lean, and wastes not a penny of donors dollars on unnecessary expenses. All funds go directly into supporting the important work of preventing malnutrition while educating children in ways that enable them to improve their future. Even the way Mil Milagros structures its fund-raisers is indicative of their approach; rather than offering donated "weekends in the islands" or other items for donors to bid on, their auctions offer up needed services (kitchen construction, furnishing kitchens with utensils,building sanitary facilities, etc) to bidders. There is no way to overstate the dedication, professionalism, and accomplishments of the Mil Milagros team.

I have supported many non profits over the years, but rarely one where every dollar has had so much impact on so many. With a very low overhead, Mil Milagros has allowed young children an opportunity to develop intellectually and physically as well. THey have eliminated absenteeism at school by providing nutritional lunches to children who were badly undernourished and whose growth had been stunted by extreme poverty. Many of these children of Mayan families who've been discriminated against for centuries will now reach their full potential.

In addition all of the children have been introduced to pure drinking water and the habits of hygiene e.g. they have been provided with toothbrushes for the first time and many have been seen by volunteer doctors and dentists. Over 500 mothers of the children have been taught to shop for healthy food and how to prepare it.
Mil Milagros has also been responsible for engaging the interest of a Dutch nonprofit who built houses for 25 families whose village had been destroyed by a mudslide several years ago . In addition they built a new school a well.
The lives of thousands of children over the last 5 years have benefitted from Margaret Blood and the organization, Mil Milagros, A Thousand Miracles. And all for the unbelievable sum of 50cents a day.
A donor's dream

I have been both a donor and volunteer with Mil Milagros. I have helped with the library project, reading tests, and health/hygiene activities such as weighing and measuring children. As a Guatemalan, I wish resources, training, and support such as that provided by Mil Milagros had been available for my generation because it makes such a huge impact on the lives of these children and their families. Lives are being transformed by the work of this organization!

I spent a couple of months during the summer in 2013 volunteering with MilMilagros. It was a huge blessing to be able to witness the amazing work that they are doing in the local schools and to be a part of that work. I especially appreciated how the mothers of the students in each school worked so hard each day to provide lunches to the students. It is great to see how MilMilagros ensures that the communities have ownership over the projects, that they are involved in every step.

Last August I traveled to Guatemala with fellow church members to participate in and witness the works of Mil Milagros. I can easily say that it was the best experience of my life. Being a 16-year-old high school student, I had never traveled outside of the country without my family and had certainly never been a part of something so much bigger than myself. I was nervous at first. However, once I arrived, I was immediately welcomed by Margaret Blood and her staff members, as well as the locals. From that point on, I knew that I had nothing to fear and that this trip was going to be one that I would never forget. My group traveled to many schools throughout different parts of the country where we helped the kids read, practice their math skills, and paint! In addition, I was able to observe the miraculous doings of Mil Milagros in their efforts to help eliminate malnutrition in the youth, and teach the students about the importance of health and hygiene. With the help of Colgate, we distributed kits of toothbrushes and toothpaste to the children at these schools, which they all greatly appreciated. The work of Mil Milagros does not just benefit the children; it benefits their mothers, the teachers, and the schools as a whole. The children of Guatemala are some of the smallest in the world and usually do not graduate past the 6th grade. Introducing healthy lunches and vitamin supplements to these schools and young kids has immensely helped change that circumstance and provided hope for students and their families. Being able to be a part of all this in addition to learning about the beautiful culture and inspiring stories of the Guatemalan people has changed me as a person, made me view the world differently, and inspired me to continue to want to help others. This experience was truly amazing! Mil Milagros has definitely lived up to its name!

The project team at Engineers Without Borders (EWB) UIUC chapter had the pleasure of working with Mil Milagros this past month! Mil Milagros worked alongside our group of university students as well as professional engineers in the Chichimuch, Guatemala region. We assessed the feasibility of a new water supply project in Chichimuch. They ensured our week in the country ran smoothly as our chapter worked closely with the town council members. Two years ago Mil Milagros brought to our attention the water shortage problem in Chichimuch. They invited us to work together with them to solve the challenge. They helped organize the logistics before our arrival and welcomed us for a second time in Chichimuch this March. Mil Milagros has guaranteed the Guatemala Water Project at our university continues to move forward. We look forward to continue working with them in the future! Carolyn and Megan served as the main communicators between EWB and Chichimuch making sure information was clearly communicated among both sides. We have developed a strong relationship with Mil Milagros and they go out of their way to facilitate the EWB project. They also help perform year round checks in terms of water data collection for our project. That has helped enormously in keeping the project up to date. We are glad to be able to count on them as a partner!

The work that Mil Milagros does is truly inspirational! I worked with this organization for just over a year and had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Guatemala and to experience the programs and see the schools first-hand. It was incredible to meet the children and families that benefit so greatly from these programs and from the support of Mil Milagros donors. The organization has a fantastic team of passionate leaders who have committed their life's work to growing Mil Milagros. One can truly see the great impact a donation provides to the children and families in the regions of Guatemala that Mil Milagros serves.

Mil Milagros is doing critical work to support the children and families in Guatemala. It has been amazing to see the organization strategically grow and have greater impact without losing its laser focus on results. I have been inspired to hear about all the programs and services that are making a difference - especially the work with the moms. I am proud to support Mil Milagros.

I've routinely given to different causes throughout my young adult and adult life and Mil Milagros stands apart as an organization, such that I felt compelled to give them more of my own time and energy. The negative things that can come up with non-profits, not playing well with each other, swooping in and then departing before the persistent problems are addressed, and short-circuiting local development and motivation through hand outs- none of that is in play here. Their work is in respectful, strategic collaboration with other non-profits and with the communities they serve. Their work is about fundamentally changing lives and that is what they are accomplishing. I feel fortunate to be able to support the important work they do, building community capacity and the capacity of women and children to alter the course of their lives for the better.